Gandhinagar, Apr 14 (IANS): Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Wednesday said that expenditure made on armed forces should not be viewed as a burden on the country's economy.

Speaking at the Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar, the Army chief said: "For a country to prosper, you need a stable and peaceful environment. That will happen only if you have strong armed forces that will secure your borders. Therefore, whenever we talk of our armed forces and the expenditure made on our armed forces, we should not see it as an investment. "

He said that expenditure on armed forces is an investment from which "you can get good returns and it should not be seen as a burden on the economy".

He also said that one should see how the economy suffers the moment there is a crisis.

"The moment there is a war anywhere or instability in the region, the impact can be seen on the stock markets. You can survive that kind of shock only if the armed forces of the country are strong," Gen Naravane said.

He said that the security of the nation, however, does not only depend on the armed forces but also on its people.

"The citizens of the country also have a major role to play. Each one of us is responsible for the security and well-being of our country. We can do that by being outstanding citizens and not spreading fake rumours on WhatsApp. Little bit of rumour mongering leads to riots. Buses get burnt. Whose loss is it? It is a loss to the country," he said.